A Change
by Pikatwig
Summary: With the third of Kota's three best friends now about to leave, he just feels like shutting away from the world... but not if Isabelle has anything to do with it. One-shot. Based on my personal Animal Crossing village. Sequel to "A Hopeful Message" and "Defying Unmei".


*sighs sadly. Is teary eyed and looking at a picture of Ricky from the Animal Crossing series* Why does the universe hate me sometimes? *sighs*

*somebody whispers from off-camera* Oh? We're recording… joy. *sighs and stands up* Hey people, sorry I'm in such a bummer mood, Ricky will be gone. So… yes, another coping fic. Hopefully, I can get this one and the first two up on DA soon-ish.

I don't own Animal Crossing, it belongs to Nintendo and the like.

* * *

Isabelle returned from Main Street with some cherries in tow, but noticed the mayor walk back home with a somber look on his face. She saw his cyan spiked hair, blue and green flowered top, white shorts, white shoes and a pink flower in his hair, but noticed that he was missing the blue and green glasses that completed the set.

"Hi Mayor Kota," Isabelle waved, but he did not pay her any mind. She attempted to wave to him, but saw him walk back into his house, "...not this again…" she silently groaned.

* * *

"Mayor Kota, are you on another of those 'villager-moving-out-induced' sadnesses?" Isabelle asked from outside his house, knocking on the door.

She didn't hear him say anything.

"Mayor Kota… this honestly… I… I know how you feel and-"

"I get it. It's just… I want to be on my own a little while…" Kota told her, "...I… I just… need to… sort out my feelings,"

"Okay. But remember you have important work to do tomorrow, so… you need to get this done today," Isabelle reminded.

"...right," Kota sighed.

* * *

After he saw Isabelle head back for the mayor's office, Kota did the one thing he needed to do, plop down on his bed and start to cry. He just sobbed his heart out onto the pillow and the Applejack themed blanket of the bed. The tears soaked the pillow, making it rather squishy and soft.

"I… I… I lost Curly… I lost Margie… and now Ricky's leaving… they were… all… my best friends here…" Kota sobbed, "And especially after all the crud it took to get Ricky to move here! Why?!"

Kota's mind began to replay the day he first met Ricky, who wore a red shirt with a white spot and black three on it. He was stubborn as all heck about moving into Yuai, with Kota remember he lost quite a bit of things in his failed attempts to get him to move in, and he also remembered how he lost a Plesio Skull to him. He found it rather funny now that he looked back on that day and remembered the times Ricky smiled to him and slowly warmed up to him after his move in, and how Ricky had become his best friend alongside Margie and Curly.

"...heh. I even got him to like a show for girls… I'll miss him saying 'Rainboom' so much." Kota admitted with a small chuckle. He let out a sigh, ready to plop his head down on the pillow, but quickly remembered to turn it over so he didn't lie his head down on the side he just sobbed on.

* * *

"I'm telling you… he's… so emotional," Isabelle told Digby, who had taken some time off to come and talk to her a bit later that day.

"I can see that. I remember how much you said he wigged out when he first had a villager move out way back when Elvis left." Digby stated, pulling up a chair and sitting down by Isabelle, "But at the same time… I still remember when you acted that way when we were little,"

Isabelle blushed nervously and turned her head away from her brother, "I-I-I-I don't know w-w-wh-what you're talking about,"

"There's nobody else here you know," Digby reminded as he took out a cup of coffee he got from Brewster, "You know I know how emotional you got when you were little,"

"Onii-san… I just… I just want to help him. He just… I just want him to stop getting into these mood swings," Isabelle sighed, brushing some of the fur away from her face, "I want Yuai to mean happiness, in a way,"

"But yuai means friendship,"

Isabelle giggled a bit at this, "Don't act like I don't know that…"

"See. There's a smile…" Digby smiled back, "...you just need to get him to smile a bit."

The yellow dog giggled a bit, before she saw a small letter that had a seal of a red circle with two lines on it. She picked it up and stared at it for a moment. She lightly tapped it in thought, simply thinking.

"You never gave him that?" Digby blinked.

"Just… never saw a good chance to do it." Isabelle admitted,"...Onii-san, I think I know what to do to get him better."

She got up and headed out, with Digby following her.

"...though, I really wish he could get this village in a bit of better shape," Isabelle giggled with a sigh, "I know he's trying… but still,"

"Just seeing some of this stuff remind me of obstacles in racing video games or a board game. Heh… maybe we could make a race track or a giant life sized board game," Digby joked.

"Onii-san…" Isabelle giggled.

* * *

"A cup of the usual," Kota requested as he walked into the Roost.

"Coo… okay," Brewster nodded, as he poured in a Mocha bean flavor, a lot of milk and two teaspoons of sugar, "Your usual flavor that reminds you of a blanket fresh from the dryer… enjoy, coo."

"And give me my usual too" Isabelle stated as she walked on in and sat down by Kota.

"Coo, very well," Brewster nodded as he got another cup, poured in the mocha flavor, with a lot of milk and three spoonfuls of sugar, "...you like your sweet,"

"Yes, yes I do." Isabelle nodded.

"Oh… hi," Kota sighed as he slowly sipped his coffee.

Isabelle received her cup and sipped it as well, with the Roost being filled with silence. Isabelle stared at Kota for a moment, nudging him slightly, getting his attention. She looked to him with a small smile, with Kota just smiling a bit himself, before sighing and continuing to sip his coffee.

"You know something that Kapp'n says? 'Oh, this ain't good-bye. I will see you again. That's how it goes whene'er yer my friend'." Isabelle told him.

"I know," Kota sighed.

"..I can have the Able Sisters make you a plushie of Ricky like they did for Curly and Margie."

"I know,"

"I have something I think that can cheer you up,"

"...I know,"

Isabelle let out a soft sigh as they both sipped their coffees a bit and finished them. They handed them back to Brewster, who took them and moved them back to the sink.

"Coo... thank you," he smiled.

"No prob." Kota told him, ready to get up.

"Mayor… can we stay here and talk a bit?" Isabelle asked.

"Coo… go ahead," Brewster told the two.

* * *

Kota and Isabelle move over to the other seats nearby and stared at each-other a bit.

"As your hisho (secretary), I have to assist you. As your friend, I want to make you happy," Isabelle told him, "...I know you sent a letter to Ricky to say goodbye, but… do you have to get in such sad moods every time somebody super close to you leaves?"

"...it just hurts. I know… you know how I feel, but… I just… have a hard time… letting go,"

Isabelle nodded at this, before she moved to the seat next to him and hugged him, "Mayor Kota… I'm glad you can show your emotions. Don't ever change, okay?"

Kota just gave a small nod, messing with his hair a bit in thought as he saw her slide over a letter with that symbol on it, "Here. I got this a couple months ago… I think this is what you need to cheer yourself up,"

Kota took the letter and opened it up, seeing it was an invite to Smash.

"...Smash?"

"Yea. I think if you go there every so often… you can cheer yourself up a bit. Get your emotions out," Isabelle suggested, "I may wanna go there, but I'm content with my life."

"Isabelle… I owe ya," Kota smiled, hugging her tightly, letting a few tears drip down her back, "And… do you mind me asking you something?"

"Sure," Isabelle nodded.

"You mind me calling you… Shizue?" Kota asked.

This made the dog's eyes widen a bit, a blush coloring her muzzle a bit, "...sure,"

* * *

Not long after that, Kota was seemingly in outer space, fighting off against somebody in a karate gi and a pink orb with red feet. The one in the karate gi fired a blue orb at him, but he easily grabbed it and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Eat your… fire ball thingy back!" Kota shouted as he tossed it back at the one in the gi, sending him flying. "YES!"

-YES!- Kota's voice shouted on a TV screen, as Isabelle was watching him do this on TV.

* * *

"Go Mayor Kota!" Isabelle cheered in joy. She watched as he won the match and did the Shrunk Funk Shuffle to celebrate his win, "That's my mayor. Heh…"

"So sis, did you bring up that idea of go-kart racing or a giant board game?" Digby asked, seeing that Isabelle was in his work place's break room.

"We already had a change. Let's hold off on more for a little while, k?" Isabelle told him.

Unknown to Isabelle, a certain rabbit was also watching the match, rather curiously…

* * *

There are some references in this little fic to some other things Animal Crossing has connections to, one of the… obviously being Smash. Also, first of these three stories with no references to "Turning Over a New Leaf", just because I couldn't see a good spot to put them in.

This is also the shortest of the three, simply because I thought this could be the simpliest of them all.

So… favorite part, it's simply when Kota asks if he can call Isabelle, 'Shizue' which is her name in the Japanese version of the game.

With that… I end this one off.

Just Live More.


End file.
